United States

Federal Transportation Reauthorization Agreement Close at Hand

The Wall Street Journal reports that a deal is very near—maybe Monday—for a 6-year transportation reauthorization bill with funding for not three years, as both the House and Senate bills include, but five.

December 1, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal - Politics

Stahl House Los Angeles

Krugman Argues the Supply Side to Combat Urban Inequality

Paul Krugman, one of the most influential voices of liberal policy in the United States, has identified a culprit in the U.S. affordability crisis: over-regulation.

November 30, 2015 - The New York Times

President Obama Stakes His Legacy at the Paris Climate Conference

President Obama left for Paris on Sunday to partake in the climate talks known as COP21. Coral Davenport of The New York Times looks at the legacy implications for the president stemming from his commitment to fighting climate change.

November 30, 2015 - The New York Times - Politics

Report: China Clean Energy Investments Beat U.S., U.K, and France Combined

When climate change initially became a powerful political talking point, the dirty economies of developing countries might have made U.S. efforts seem inconsequential. Now the roles of reversed, and the U.S. has some catching up to do.

November 30, 2015 - Mother Jones

Embarcadero

Urban Revitalization Through Highway Teardowns

Alana Semuels, staff writer for The Atlantic, examines highway teardowns beginning with the San Francisco Embarcadero in 1989 to see how they have worked in terms of revitalizing poorer areas or restoring the urban fabric that they destroyed.

November 29, 2015 - The Atlantic

Crumbling road

Iowa DOT Chief Takes Novel Approach to Transportation Infrastructure

The strategy of Iowa's Department of Transportation chief, Paul Trombino III, for maintaining the state's "25,000 bridges, 114,000 miles of roadway, and more than 4,000 miles of rail" is not to do so. In a word, "shrinkage" is part of the solution.

November 27, 2015 - KCRG-TV9

Friday Funny: Common Anti-Development Complaints, Explained With Cat GIFs

The more project proposals change, the more the opposition stays the same—right?

November 27, 2015 - Austin On Your Feet

New Call for Choice Neighborhood 'Planning and Action' Grants

The latest round of funding for the Choice Neighborhoods program adds a new component—"Planning and Action Grants."

November 26, 2015 - Next City

Mapping the U.S. 'Turkey Belt'

Don't worry; we're not mentioning belts to make you feel too guilty to enjoy today's meal.

November 26, 2015 - Vox

Analyzing the Impacts of Choice Neighborhoods Grants

A new study examines the question of how to achieve neighborhood transformation through the Choice Neighborhoods federal grant program.

November 25, 2015 - Urban Institute

Why Only 330,000 Electric Vehicles on the Road?

The answer to the question posed by the New York Times is surprising. Hint: Don't blame the customer if the sales force isn't trying to sell them on vehicles that never need to go to a service station to purchase fuel.

November 25, 2015 - The New York Times - Science

Parking Sign

Mapping the End of Parking Minimums

The high cost of free parking is almost, but not quite, common knowledge. Many, but not all, people realize the pernicious effects of parking requirements. A map can help illustrate this spreading awareness.

November 25, 2015 - Strong Towns

For Economic Stabilization Amidst Suburban Poverty: Maximize the Earned Income Tax Credit

The diffuse structure of suburbs makes it more efficient, according to this Brooking Institution post, to invest in individuals rather than places to fight poverty.

November 25, 2015 - Brookings

APA Awards Funding to Local Projects Combating Chronic Disease

$2.25 million in funding exemplifies the broadening focus of the American Planning Association on public health outcomes at the local level.

November 25, 2015 - American Planning Association

Bike Commuter

U.S. Still Lags Behind in Bike Commuting

Triple Pundit takes a step back to gather some perspective, asking why the U.S. commuters are still so resistant to getting on bikes.

November 24, 2015 - Triple Pundit

Old Man Cyclist

Middle-Aged White Americans Take a Significant Turn for the Worse

Why are mortality rates increasing for this group in the United States and not others? The usual suspects—obesity, heart disease, diabetes, smoking are not the killers, The findings resulted in the 2015 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science.

November 24, 2015 - The New York Times - Health

405 Traffic

The 50 Worst Traffic Bottlenecks in the United States

This list of the worst places for traffic congestion in the country might cause some rubbernecking of its own.

November 24, 2015 - The Washington Post

Critiquing the 2015 TIGER Grants: More Isn't Always Better

According to a scathing critique of the most recent round of TIGER funding, many of the awarded projects fall far below the quality that transit advocates expect.

November 24, 2015 - The Century Foundation

Google Self-Driving Car

Time to Take the Self-Driving Car Seriously?

So far, only a small minority of major cities have considered self-driving cars in their long-range transportation plans. The question is, should policymakers embrace them or stand in their way?

November 24, 2015 - TechCrunch

Mobility

Three Ways Mobile Transit Payments Will Change How We Move in Cities

One idea for how to make transit better is rolling out in cities across the country: mobile payment of fares on smartphones.

November 23, 2015 - Regina R. Clewlow

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.